Most IT Service Providers don't even think twice about what it means to be "Best in Class", let alone what it takes. FPA's Vision Statement is "to build the preeminent IT services company in Los Angeles, distinguishing itself by forming meaningful client relationships and delivering world class services and support in networking, back office systems, and application development." It's easy to say this is what we want to be, but it's an ongoing constant struggle to make it happen.
We teach our staff to approach every single thing we do as though it's the only thing our clients see. So, simply put - EVERYTHING WE DO MATTERS!
As a service business, to us the "how" of what we do is really more important than the "what". Everyone assumes we can do what we do (that's why they hire us), but we believe clients stick with us because of "how" we do it. Through the years, one of our strengths has been our focus on "Business Before Technology". It's about how we can help IT fit into our clients' businesses.
It's one thing to aim to be "better" than our competitors, but it's another to be seen as "Best in Class". This not only goes to the services we provide, how we deliver those services, the value we provide, but ultimately to the performance of our company as a business.
Being in business for over 25 years, we've seen a lot of trends come and go. We've seen a lot of changes in the business model and we've have seen what works and what doesn't work. Through the years, we've not only invested in our internal systems but in our basic underlying structure and processes constantly striving to be Best in Class.
To be "Best in Class" we have to have the best staff possible. This is why we focus so much on the hiring and initial evaluation process where we focus so much effort on finding and hiring only the best and the brightest to join our team. This is why we have a detailed process for determining which of the 1000's of candidates we go through will succeed here. This is why we put every candidate through a rigorous assessment process including an online technical assessment, an online job profile assessment, along with a rigorous interview process.
To be "Best in Class" we have to grow our people. One of our Core Values is "Take Care of Our Staff". This is why we have FPAU, a formalized training program that everyone goes through when they first come on board. This is why every member of FPA has a written Performance Plan that we meet and review every quarter. This is why we have a Continuing Education Program where every member of FPA has an annual training budget.
To be "Best in Class" we have to provide value in everything we do. This is why we're always looking for ways to improve how we deliver our services. This is why we're always looking for additional service offerings that matter to our clients.
All of this is what we like to call our "Culture of Constant Improvement".
When you get down to it to be Best in Class as an IT Service Provider, it's about your processes and it's about your people - it's not about IT.
Is your IT Service Provider doing the best job possible for you? Or is something just not right? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments box below.